A Frosty Winter
by CrayolaMarkers
Summary: It's Christmastime after BotL, and Annabeth's...angry. Because she can't get a plane back home. The Jacksons are nice enough to let her stay with them for a while, but what will happen between Annabeth and Percy when she uncovers a few of his secrets?
1. First Snowflakes

**A/N: Right after BotL, while Camp Half Blood isn't entirely safe, everybody can more or less lead normal lives for a while. By Christmastime, Thalia's still Hunting, Percy's at his apartment, and Annabeth...well, Annabeth's grumpy. Because of airlines. Who wouldn't be? But this Christmas is going to be a little bit...um, drama-filled. You'll see.**

"You have _got_ to be kidding me!" I shouted at the woman standing behind the counter. "_Cancelled_? I just waited three hours for this flight!"

"We're sorry, miss," the blondie said timidly. "But the weather conditions are simply terrible. We've gotten five inches of snow in the past hour."

I folded my arms. "I don't _care_ how much snow there is if you can get the plane off the ground!"

She shook her head. "We really are very sorry," she said. "But we _are_ unable to 'get the plane off the ground'. However, you can have your flight rescheduled for next week and these dinner and breakfast vouchers, accepted at any restaurant in the airport," she drew a handful of paper slips from under her desk.

I snatched them and huffed off in the direction of the escalators. "Last time I ever fly Continental," I muttered, ignoring the looks I was getting from other delayed customers.

Hi. My name's Annabeth Chase.

Until now, I was in a pretty good mood. I had just left the Christmas party at the Catherine McAuley school, my high school in Brooklyn. As today was the last day of school before the holidays, my school friends were headed for their parents, and I was headed back home to see my dad and half-brothers for winter break. _Was_.

Now I was just stuck at LaGuardia with a bunch of vouchers for Cinnabons and nowhere to go.

"Just great," I said when I'd reached the escalator. I hid my face in my hands. "Dad'll be totally confused _and_ I'll have to be stuck here for a week."

But a thought struck me then and there. "I wonder...maybe I can go back to camp..."

I fished my cell phone out of my jacket pocket. As I dialed the camp phone number, my spirits slowly rose. Maybe this wouldn't be so terrible after all.

Until the phone quit ringing. "We're sorry. Your call cannot be completed as dialed. This line is undergoing maintanence. Please try again later."

I glared at my phone. _What_?!

"You have _got _to be kidding me," I said again as I punched in the camp number once more.

"We're sorry. Your call cannot be completed as dialed..."

"Geez!" I punched the red phone button to hang up and sulked. "No camp. No flights out of New York. Where am I supposed to stay, it's not like I can afford a hotel, and I don't know anybody who lives...!" But then I realized. Oh boy. I _did _know someone.

Reluctantly, I dug around in my backpack for the phone number Seaweed Brain had given me a couple of summers ago. I looked at the slip of paper, then slowly dialed his apartment.

"Hello?" A cheery woman's voice said.

I gulped. "Hi, is this Ms. Jackson?" I asked. "This is Annabeth."

"_Annabeth_! How great to hear from you!" she cried. Obviously excited that I'd called. "How's your Christmas vacation going?"

I sighed. "Well, um, it's not really going so well...you see, I'm stuck in--"

I was interrupted by a voice in the background of the phone call. "Mom? Who're you talking to?"

"Oh, it's Annabeth, honey! Come say hi!" Ms. Jackson called to him. She got back on the phone. "That's Percy, Annabeth. I'm sure he'll be happy to talk to you."

"Ms. Jackson, I--"

"Let me get him on the phone for you," she insisted, and with some fumbling noises she left the conversation.

"Hey," Percy said. "Is that you?"

"Yeah," I said sheepishly. "I'm kind of asking for a favor."

"Shoot."

I rubbed the back of my neck anxiously. "Now -- you can say no, but the airport won't let me fly back to California, and I don't have much money with me, and I can't get ahold of camp..."

"What?"

"I need a place to stay," I finished clumsily.

He didn't say anything for a second. Then, "Oh. Okay, sure. Yeah...um, I bet you can stay with us."

"Really?" I said.

"Sure. Let me ask my mom." He tried to be subtle about this, but I could tell he was covering the receiver. I heard a bunch of mumbling, and a minute later he said: "My mom said it's OK. Actually, she's kind of happy. Really happy."

"Oh," I smiled in spite of myself. "Thanks. Can I come drop my stuff off?"

"Sure," he said again. Were we master conversationalists or what? "Uh, 207 West 57th Street. Room 114. Haven't you been here before or something?"

I flinched. "Maybe."

"When you were spying on me?"

"Maybe."

"I'll take that as a _yes_," he said wryly. "Guess I'll see you soon."

I grinned. "Guess so. And Percy?"

"What?"

"Thanks," I told him.

"Yeah, yeah," he brushed me off good-naturedly. "Bye, Wise Girl."

He hung up. A little less flustered, I grabbed a bus -- which took forever -- and walked a couple blocks -- which was terribly mushy and snowing -- until I came to his apartment where, yes, I _had_ done a little observing a couple years back. I headed through the building until I came to 114 and rang the doorbell. _Bing-boonnng. _

Percy, instead of his mom, answered. "Hey."

"Hey yourself," I stepped in and starting shaking my hat of snow. "It's morbidly freezing out there. Hi, Ms. Jackson."

She smiled broadly and waved from the kitchen, where she was baking something that smelled delicious. The apartment was a little small, just a little living room, two bedrooms, and a kitchen, but cozy. Just the thing for a snowy winter night. "Make yourself at home, Annabeth. You can have Percy's room; he'll sleep on the couch."

"_Mo-om_!" Percy groaned.

"She's the guest," his mother told him firmly.

"I'm sorry about just barging in like this," I apologized. "But, you know, the weather..."

"No, no, it's fine," she reassured me, untying her apron, grabbing a purse, and heading for the door. "Go put your things in his room. I'm making chocolate chip cookies -- oh, they're colored blue, I hope you don't mind -- and I was just about to go pick up some pizza. I'll be back in a half-hour or so. Make sure they don't burn, will you, Percy?" And she left the apartment.

"Be right back," I told Percy as I dragged my luggage to his room. It was pretty small, too, but very Percy. His shield on the nightstand. His bed unmade. A pot of random lacy flowers on the planter outside the windowsill...wait, what?

I gingerly opened the door and inspected the planterbox more closely. _Moonlace_ was scrawled in Percy's handwriting on an index card next to it. I know I shouldn't have pried any further, but this was too weird. I squinted at the glowing flower, but couldn't identify its scientific name. I'd never even heard of Moonlace.

I dug my fingers into the black soil to feel the root, but I felt something else strange. Paper. I pulled out a small strip, like a fortune from a fortune cookie. It took a while to read, but I finished rearranging the letters from dyslexia after a minute.

And to my dismay, this is what I'd come up with:

_Percy,_

_I know you need to continue on your quests, but know while you travel that someone still cares for you. You are a hero, Percy. You know where to find me, if you could. But as I will never be able to see you again, I can only sign,_

_Love,_

_Calypso_


	2. The Blizzard

By the time I'd finished reading the note about twenty times, I was having trouble breathing normally. This was weird, _too_ weird, and besides that it made a little part of me flinch. I hated Calypso. I hated her. She was evil, a seductress, and sided with the...well, she was just terrible.

And why would Percy keep this from me?! Come to think of it, Hera may have mentioned Calypso's island a few months ago, but I hardly remembered. I thought she was just ranting, mixing Percy up with Odysseus in her hairbrained mind. Oh, no. This was for real.

It would have been much cooler to rip up the paper on the spot, but I was paralyzed. I eventually shuffled back inside, closed the door, and headed to the living room. Percy was watching TV, oblivious.

"Hey," he said, eyes on the television. "Wanna watch _CSI_?"

I didn't answer, just held up the strip of paper.

He wrenched his head from the TV set. "What's that?"

"Percy," I managed to say. "When did you meet...Calypso?"

He changed from relaxed to terrified in an instant. "Where did you find out?" he asked in horror.

I handed him the strip. "This was in that Moonlace stuff," I said coldly, forgetting that now he'd know that I snooped.

He read it -- it took a minute, but he read it -- and he smiled for a second. Then he remembered that I was fuming mad at him and wiped the smile off his face. "I had no idea this was in there," he assured me.

"It doesn't matter. _When_ were you on Ogygia?"

He punched the off button on the remote and didn't look at me. But I knew anyway.

"It was those two weeks," I realized. "You weren't _lost_. You were staying on Calypso's island, _choosing_ to stay with her!"

Percy stood up. "It wasn't my fault!"

"Oh yeah?" I laughed derisively. "Like it took you two weeks to heal on Calypso's island. You could have left in a day and she wouldn't have been able to stop you."

"So I like the island, big deal!" he threw up his hands. "I came back in time, didn't I?"

"You liked the _island_? You _liked the island?_" I echoed in disbelief. "Shut up. You liked her!"

"Well, if I did," he said. "What's wrong with that?"

"She's a traitor!" I told him harshly. "She's cruel and evil and seduces any man who comes to her island. She's a nymph, a daughter of Atlas. She sided with the Titans."

"Well, maybe because she's being loyal to her family!" he said.

I sneered, "Yeah, right. She's just a tool, using everybody who comes to her island, and you're no different." I took a breath and thought of something _I_ could say that would hurt him as much as this hurt me. "And if you thought she cared for you, that loved you at _all_, you're just deluding yourself!"

Percy's eyes narrowed. "What, like you and Luke?!"

"Luke _does_ care for _me_!" I shouted. "I've known Luke for years and years, not just two stupid weeks on an island when I should have been at camp!"

"Yeah, you really know him well!" Percy laughed. "Before he went psycho and joined Kronos, he was a great guy, huh? Luke's the traitor, not Calypso!"

I was seething. "_WHY_ do you like her?!"

"Why do you _care_?!" he yelled back.

I grabbed one of the blankets on the coffee table and headed for his room. "I think it's time we say goodnight, Percy!"

"GOOD_-NIGHT_," he screamed after me.

"SAME TO YOU!" I shouted as I slammed the door.

It was only seven, but it was winter dark already. I climbed into bed, already warm, and threw the blanket on top of the comforters. Ten minutes passed slowly, and I heard the jangle of keys as Ms. Jackson came in. _Hi, guys_, I heard her voice distantly._ Percy? Are you already asleep? But I brought Pizza!_

I felt a shiver run down my spine, and something else -- guilt. I felt terrible.

Percy was my friend, and a friend is a friend, no matter how stupid they could be.

I might apologize in the morning.


	3. Thin Ice

I crawled out of Percy's old bed to call my dad first thing in the morning. He could be kooky sometimes, but he deserved to know where I was. Dad sounded a little worried, but hey -- he's always worried about me one way or another.

"Do you think the weather will clear up by next week?" he asked.

"I'm sure it will," I said. "I'll be home by Christmas Eve, I promise."

We said goodbye and I hung up solemnly. I still felt terrible about last night's fight. I tiptoed to the kitchen to find Percy already up and munching on a slice of cold pizza.

"Um, hi," I said softly.

He nodded and took another bite of pizza. "There's more in the fridge if you want some breakfast,"

"Oh, thanks," I said, but I just sat down without a slice. "Look...about last night...I'm--"

"I'm sorry," he told me first. He finally looked me in the eye.

"No, _I'm _sorry," I said stubbornly.

He smiled just a tiny bit. "I said it first."

"But I'm sorrier," I insisted.

"No, _I_ am."

"No, I am!"

"No, me."

"Okay, you are," he agreed, smiling for real. He stuck out his hand. "Friends again?"

I shook it, grinning. "We always were," I agreed, standing up and walking to the fridge. "I think I will have some pizza. We kind of forgot about it last night, huh?"

"Mm...yeah. I kind of owe you," he looked at me. "I was thinking about going to the mall today, you know, 'cause they've got this new ice skating rink. Want to come?"

I felt stupid, as a huge smile was spreading across my face without my permission. "Um, _duh!"_

My skate blades cut into the ice as I twirled on one skate. "You actually had a good idea for once, Seaweed Brain," I laughed as I spun a figure eight. When I didn't hear a response, I stopped spinning. "Uh, Seaweed Brain?" I asked, skating over to the side of the rink he was clinging onto. "Percy. Listen to me. _You can skate_."

He shook his head fervently. "No."

"My gods, it's _ice_. Ice, Percy!" I tugged on his arm. "You know what ice is? Frozen water."

"Manufactured, mechanically frozen, _fresh_ water," he retorted, tightening his grip on the side. "I'm not skating. I don't even know why I thought I would."

I shrugged my shoulder, skating backwards as I did. "Suit yourself," I said. "But you could skate if you wanted to..."

I swished off to the other side of the rink, close to the food court. Mmm. Pretzels. I fished around in my pocket to no avail and wondered if maybe Percy had brought some spare change. They were the good kind too, warm Auntie Anne's with salt, a fresh aroma wafting my way...

"Hey," a deep-ish voice came from behind me. I turned on my skate to see a not-bad-looking guy about my age, brown hair, red t-shirt, standing with some of his also rather cute friends. "Nice skating there. You professional or something?

"No way," I said, coming to a stop. "I'm from San Francisco. I'd never get to practice."

The guys smiled. "Oh, California," the red shirt guy said knowingly. "Nice beaches there, I hear. That would explain the tan."

I smiled, blushing head to toe. "They're okay," I mumbled, embarassed. "Um, have you ever been there?"

His friends all laughed like a pack of hyenas. "In his dreams!" One of them hooted.

"Shut up, Devon," Red Shirt punched his arm. "So, what's a California girl like you doing in NYC?"

"She's with me," Percy interrupted bluntly, flashing by on his skates and yanking me away by the hand. "Nice meeting you," he said before I could say anything else.

I was so stunned I just let myself be dragged away on the ice for a second. "Well, look who just learned how to skate," I said sourly.

"If you go around talking to everyone you see, you'll get mugged or worse," Percy informed me. "Want to look at the Christmas tree?"

I sighed and followed him to the enormous fir in the middle of the skating rink.

"It's really pretty," I smiled, softening a little.

"Yeah," Percy agreed. "Look at the reindeer," he pointed to the little automated reindeer toy that was bouncing on a high branch.

I laughed for a minute, then fell quiet as we gazed at the Christmas tree. I looked down suddenly and realized something.

"Hey, Percy?" I asked.

He was still looking at the ornaments. "Mm-hmm?"

"You don't have to keep holding my hand. The boys already left the rink."

He drew his hand back so fast you would've thought it was on fire. "Oh, yeah, duh," he said, flustered. "Sorry. Just, you know, forgot."

"It's okay," I was blushing again. Turning to the mall's stores surrounding the rink so he wouldn't see my red cheeks, I had the brilliant idea to go, "Oh, wow, look at that! You can go test the iPhone in the Apple store!" Then dash away from the tree and take off my ice skates on a bench.

He stared at me, amused and confused. "Huh?"

"Well, come on!" I told him. He rolled his eyes and followed me up the stairs to return our skates.

We traversed around the mall, stopping every once in a while in a cool-looking place (that meant no clothes stores, no bath and body stores, and definitely, under any circumstances, no shoe stores). Both of us checked out the iPhones and he even got a pretzel to split.

"My mom could've made them blue," he told me as he ripped off a piece.

I munched on mine. "Yeah, but could it be as good as this?"

"Oh, yeah," he told me. "Better. She can bake anything, cookies, cakes...pretzels," he turned to me and smiled.

I smiled back. "You know, I can bake," I admitted, focusing on the salt grains of my pretzel piece.

He stopped and stared at me again. "Really."

"Really," I nodded. "And I'm good at it."

"You? Nah," he waved me off and started walking again.

"I _am_!" I insisted. "From scratch, and I only use really great ingredients. My dad would let me go by myself to the store and I'd get high-grade flour or whatever. I make breads too, mostly they're..._what_?!" I demanded of Percy. He was cracking up beside me.

"No, I'm not laughing at you!" he said over his laughs. "It's just kind of hard to imagine you...I mean, being patient enough to _bake_!"

I stuffed a bite of pretzel into his mouth. "You can just shut your mouth for a while, all right?" I yelled at him, grinning.

He frowned, then swallowed the pretzel and smiled. "Hey, that looks just like something you'd wear," he pointed behind me.

I turned around to see a sparkling diamond store, windows glittering with jewelry. "Which one do you...?" I started to ask, but I stopped immediately. I saw it: a tiny platinum owl, surrounded by golden leaves and clutching a small diamond teardrop. It hung delicately on a thin platinum chain with a heart clasp, and I loved it already.

"It's beautiful," I breathed, inching closer to the window.

Percy walked up beside me. "You can try it on if you want," he offered casually.

"Shut up," I pushed him away. Then I thought about it. "You mean it?"

Inside the store, I had a hard time convincing them to let me try on the necklace. "Ahh, but eet eez a veeeeeery expeensive pendant," the man behind the counter said. "Vee really shooldn't let such a leetle gehl be hahndling eet."

I crossed my arms. "I'm not a _little girl_. I'm fifteen!"

"Eeven so," he scoffed. "Eet eez not for hahndling."

Percy rolled his eyes. "Geez, it's just a necklace," he said to the counter man, exasperated. Then he got an evil look in his eyes. "I thought you'd want to know...I'm friends with Rachel Elizabeth Dare. Oliver Warbucks Dare's daughter?"

The counter man shut up and made a beeline for the window.

"Thanks," Percy said, taking the necklace. "C'mon, Annabeth. Pull up your hair or this thing's gonna snag it."

Surprised, I turned around and held up my hair. "Uh, okay."

He looped the platinum strand around my neck, and I heard a _click_ that must have been the heart clasp. "Turn around, let's see it."

I swiveled to face him and he smiled. "It looks great. Check it out," he pointed to a mirror.

I trotted toward the mirror and took a peek. Wow. It looked even better on than it did in the window -- not too long, not too short.

"It's gorgeous," I agreed. "How much?"

The counter man sniffed. "Unless you haff an eempressiff trust fund, you cannot afford eet," he said. "Seecks thouzand."

"_Dollars_?" Percy and I cried at the same time.

He tapped his feet impatiently. "No, I vass talking about yen. Yes, doll-airs!"

I sighed. "Maybe another day," I held up the tiny pendant to look at it. After a second I felt Percy staring at me. "What?" I asked him.

"You know, even if you don't like her, her face kind of reminded me of you," he said quietly. "Calypso, I mean."

So he walked out of the store silently, leaving me alone with nothing but the platinum owl.


	4. Soft Snowfall

That night, I decided to help Ms. Jackson with dinner by making yeast rolls. Partly to prove to Percy that I _could_ bake, and very well, and partly because I needed to talk to her about something.

"Ms. Jackson," I began as I kneaded the yeasty ball of dough. "Did you ever have...boy issues?"

I could almost feel her face melting into a sappy grin. "Oh, sweetie, do you need to talk about problems with some boy?"

"_No_," I said firmly. "I have a friend at school, Amelie, and she wanted me to help her out. But I want to get someone else's advice first."

"Oh, I see," she said, trying to hide a smile. She didn't believe me. I mean, okay, I was lying, but I still absolutely hated that she didn't believe me. "So, what is 'Amelie's' problem?"

I sighed but went on. "She has a best friend who's a guy, and they've been friends for all of junior high and high school, and she's always thought he's kind of cute but he never asked her out or anything, but now she's not sure if she likes him like that or just as a friend and she's confused and wants somebody to help her and I don't know what to say," I delivered in one breath.

Ms. Jackson blinked, overwhelmed. "I see. And, ah, what is this boy's name?"

"Uh...Peter," I invented. "Peter something."

"Well," Ms. Jackson went back to cutting strips of grilled chicken. "In my experience, boys don't quite know what to say to the girl they like. I'll bet you that Peter really likes your friend Amelie and isn't quite sure how to say so. If Amelie just tells him how she feels straight-out, it will be much easier for Percy to tell her."

"His name's Peter!" I shrieked as I tore pieces of dough off for the rolls.

She squelched a grin. "Whoops," she said innocently. "My mistake."

I thanked her for the advice as I pushed the rolls into the oven. Percy and I set the table, and by the time everything was served even he had admitted I could bake.

"All right, I give up," he said after finishing his billionth roll. "You can bake. So sue me."

"I would, if I had a lawyer," I said smugly. "And those aren't even that hard to make. Wait 'till you see my cinnamon rolls."

His eyes got wide. "Can you make them in the morning? _Please_?"

"Percy!" Ms. Jackson scolded.

"Yeah, Percy, where are your manners?" I joked, shaking my head. "But yeah, maybe I will. If you're nice to me."

He snatched another roll. Actually, he hadn't even touched the chicken, which made me secretly happy that he liked my cooking even better than his mom's. Not that I'd ever say so. "And when am I ever not nice to you?" he demanded.

We laughed so hard I seriously got a stitch in my side.

--

The snowy weather made it way too freezing to walk around outside after dinner, so we decided to make a mad dash to the nearest Blockbuster and pick out a decent movie.

"Found it," Percy announced to the whole store.

"What'd you find?" I asked, distracted. They had a Guitar Hero available to play for free, so I was fully taking advantage of their stupidity by banging out some notes on _Barracuda_. Why rent the game when you can hide out in the store and play to your heart's desire?

Percy headed my way. "Only the greatest movie known to mankind," he declared, holding up the case. "Terminator 2."

I groaned, hitting the guitar's whammy bar as I did. "I've seen that a zillion times."

"But that's because it's so good!" he whined.

I hit the last notes of the song. _YOU ROCK, _which to my mind looked like _YUO RCOK,_ flashed on the screen before me, giving me a chance to take off the guitar and look around. "How about...hmm. Lawrence of Arabia looks good," I said. I pulled the thin biographical DVD off the shelf and looked it over.

"Gross," Percy made a face. "It sounds like it's for old people."

I narrowed my eyes. "Are you calling me old?"

He was too busy looking at the back of another case. "What's this about?" he asked as he handed me the movie. "Forrest Gump?"

I smiled. "It's awesome. You've never seen it?" He shook his head. "Well, then," I told him, heading toward the front counter. "This is what we're watching."

--

Forrest Gump was great. It had enough historical background and romance for me, and enough blowing-things-up for Percy. "Wow, who plays Jenny?" he asked near the beginning of the movie.

"Uh, Robin Wright, maybe?" I guessed. "It's the same girl who was in the Princess Bride."

Percy nodded and sat back. Our shoulders brushed when he did, because in order to sit on the little couch in front of his TV, you had to squish. I was okay with being that close to him, though I'm not sure _why_.

"So who's better looking, Jenny or me?" I asked playfully.

He threw a pillow at me. "What kind of question is that?"

"Fine, fine, don't answer," I said, stretching out. "I'll just sit over here, insulted."

He gave me an annoyed look. "You. Definitely you. You're much better looking than Robin Whatever. You're more gorgeous than Jessica Alba," he answered sarcastically. "Happy?"

I put on a cheesy smile. "Flattered," I replied.

We got through the whole movie without even getting teary-eyed. Well, all right, I did. But only at the part when Jenny and Forrest run to meet each other in the reflecting pool in Washington D.C.

"Are you _crying_?" Percy asked incredulously, which I thought was real crappy of him.

"No," I retorted. "You've got the screen on too bright, idiot. It's making my eyes water."

He sighed and leaned back again. "They really look great together, huh?" he asked a bit more seriously.

I wiped away some of the teardrops and smiled. "Yeah, they do," I agreed. "It must be because they were such good friends as kids."

Immediately what I'd said came back to bite me. Friends? Oh yeah, that would be me and Percy.

There was silence for a while. "I think so, too," he said.

By the time the credits rolled, it was already morning. Like, two in the morning. "'Bout time to get some sleep, huh?" I asked Percy with a huge yawn. When I didn't get any answer, I switched off the TV and looked at him. "Seaweed Brain?"

He was fast asleep on the couch already, looking like an exhausted little kid.

I shook my head at him. "You crack me up," I said, ready to shake his shoulders and wake him. But I couldn't. He looked too tired.

"You better thank me for this in the morning," I grumbled as I pulled down an old quilt and pillow from the chair in the corner. I lifted up his head and placed the fluffy pillow underneath, then pulled his denim-clad legs up on the couch so he didn't have to sleep vertically. After tucking him into the soft quilt, I headed for bed. But something made me turn around and look at him one more time.

"Sleep tight, Seaweed Brain," I said as I smiled and closed the door.


	5. An Unexpected Hailstorm

**A/N: THANK YOU THANK YOU for the awesome reviews! I love them and they made me write this chapter. So thank you to everybody because every one of 'em warms my heart. To Percabethrulez, that's the CUTEST idea. I may use it...but if I don't, it's because I'd already planned something about that owl pendant that I was going to write. I'm not sure. Maybe I'll write two endings :)**

Hours like those turned into days, and days faded into almost a week. A happy, happy, happy week that almost made me regret calling my dad and promising to come home. Besides just having _fun_ all the time (since the snow had, for the most part, cleared up), I found out a ton of stuff about which I had no idea. For instance, Percy really likes ice hockey.

"Ice hockey?" I'd asked when he told me. "But you were freaking out at the ice rink!"

"I like _watching_ it," he had corrected. "I'm not really the athletic kind of guy."

"Well, I think you are. How is slicing a bunch of monsters in half and spending all day at camp not athletic?" I'd pointed out.

And by the next Tuesday, when we were exploring a soft, snowy white Central Park, he'd figured out something amazing.

"You don't like the Yankees?" he cried.

I shook my head happily as we went over a bridge.

"But...but you have their baseball hat and everything!" he exclaimed. "This makes no sense. You live in New York."

"I live in San Francisco," I said. "And I'm more of a Red Sox girl anyway."

"Why'd your Mom give you the hat, then?"

"Oh, you know," I shrugged as we headed through the park. "She just assumed I'd be a fan, being in NYC all the time. I think -- PERCY, LOOK OUT!"

He ducked instinctively and barely missed the spiked tail swinging his way, a look of horror on his face and undoubtedly on mine too.

It was a monster, and it was disgusting, with the matted fur of a lion on its body and a emerald-green tail, complete with iron spikes and poison barbs. On its head -- a human's, dirty and goateed -- it wore a blue Domino's cap. A closed cardboard pizza box rode on its back.

"The Manticore," I grumbled. "Perfect. What is it doing in Central Park?"

"Annabeth, get out of the way!" Percy yelled as he quickly uncapped Riptide. With a pretty good, near-expert swing, he sliced at the Manticore's leg. But all that did was chop it off, which didn't matter once the leg started growing back from the stump.

I blinked. "What?!"

"I'll say. And _yuck_," Percy dodged a swing of the monster's tail, confused. He swung again at another leg, but the same thing happened. This time the Manticore shot barbs at him, which he barely blocked in time with his watch/shield.

I panicked. Most monsters were supposed to die on contact with celestial bronze weapons...but maybe...

"Percy, chop off all the legs," I instructed as I put on my Yankees-that-I-don't-like cap.

"They just grow right back!" he cried.

I shimmered into invisibility. "_Trust _me!" I said before the invisible me hopped onto a bench nearby. Timing my jump, I leapt onto the gross fur of the monster. _Ew_, I thought, shivering in the cold. In a second, Percy had sliced off all the feet, which gave me the opportunity to surprise it.

"Here goes nothing," I whispered, flipping open the pizza box and stabbing the fresh Hawaiian pie inside.

The Manticore let out a cry of pain, then burst into golden dust -- leaving me to fall ten feet to the ground. Percy noticed this and slid quickly to the right so I wouldn't hit the snow and freeze.

"Ouch," I gasped as Percy barely caught me. Then I realized exactly whose arms I was in. "Oh, um..."

"Sorry," he said, dropping me to my feet and blushing. The crowd behind me, who'd probably been watching this whole time in awe, clapped loudly.

"No, I mean, uh, thanks." I shyly sat on the bench and got my breathing back to normal. "You know what that was?"

He nodded. "Yeah, the Manticore, right?"

"Exactly. No idea what the other people saw, though," I said. "Probably that we beat up a mugger carrying a pizza..."

"Ohmigosh. _Percy?_"

Percy and I spun around to see a redheaded girl, slightly speckled with bronze paint, running toward us. Her red backpack bounced against her back as she jogged toward our bench. Great: Rachel Elizabeth Dare was coming to see us.

"Percy, I can't believe you're here," Rachel cried, coming to a stop. "It's so strange...I was just...never mind."

"Yeah, it's great to see you," Percy smiled at her.

"_Hi_, Rachel," I said, trying to be sincere. I knew Rachel wasn't a bad person, really. I just found it hard to like her.

"Hi," she said over her shoulder. With her face to me, I could see her eyes and nose -- red and sniffly, like she'd been crying. "So, what's up? The monster tipped me off."

"Yeah," Percy nudged my shoulder. "It was mostly her, though. She killed the Manticore."

"_Manticore?_" Rachel sounded impressed. "Wow. You know, I've been studying Greek mythology lately. It's in my bag..." she looked by her side, where there was no bag of any kind.

"What bag?" I asked.

"I must have left it in the studio," she admitted. "Darn it."

"I can get it for you," I offered. See? I could be nice. Plus, she'd been crying. It turned me into a big softy.

She smiled and sniffed again. "You would? Thanks! It's just down the second street from that stop sign," she told me. "I probably left it on the drawing table."

I waved goodbye and started down the street, patting myself on the back for being such a good friend. And while I walked to her art studio, I wondered about Percy. He'd always been my friend, but our friendship was different now, deeper. I was looking at him like I would only look at, well, at Luke. It was a strange feeling. Not a little cute-boy crush, like the one I'd had on the guy with the red shirt at the skating rink. Maybe...I don't know, love?

Yuck.

"There you are," I said as I plucked Rachel's bag off the desk. It was weird, all colors melded together. _Harajuku Lovers_ was written in thick black letters on the side. I hitched it on my shoulder and started back to the bench, where Percy was sitting with a crying Rachel.

Wait. Crying?

I ducked behind a bush to watch. I know, I know, it's bad to spy, but we can't all be high-and-mighty _all _the time.

I squinted at Rachel. She wasn't bawling her eyes out, but she was definitely getting some tear action on. Percy looked uncomfortable but was trying to be sympathetic, at least from what I could tell. She was talking to him over her tears and he was nodding, like, _yeah, I know what you mean and I'm sorry._

But what Rachel did next was so strange, so out-of-the-ordinary that I didn't feel like it was part of my life. Maybe somebody else's. It was part of Serena's life on _Gossip Girl_, or somebody else with lots of drama. In any case, it made my heart skip a beat, which got me off balance a little.

She stopped talking for a minute to kiss Percy. Full on the lips.

There's really only one thing you can do when a girl you don't like kisses the boy you're not sure if you like or not, and that's to make sure she knows you were watching.

I stood up from the bushes silently, watching them kiss like it wasn't even happening. I coughed on accident, but it was enough to break the spell.

"Annabeth!" Percy cried as he unstuck himself from Rachel's kissy-fish face. "What...were you watching...?"

I didn't answer. I just said in this tiny mouse voice, "Um...here's your bag, Rachel."


	6. Artificial Snow

"Annabeth!" Percy whined as he followed me back to the apartment. I could walk very quickly when I wanted to, so he kept falling behind even though he was nearly jogging. "Annabeth, please talk to me!"

Of course I wouldn't talk to him. I was too shocked and too hurt to do _anything_ but walk home.

"Come on, please!" he insisted. "I don't know what she was thinking...I don't like her like that. She just starting crying when she was talking about her parent's divorce and then, uh, kissed me and...you know."

I turned my head ever-so-slightly toward him. Her parents were divorcing? Why?

"It wasn't me! I didn't want her to and, and...I just don't like it when you're all mad at me!"

"I'm not mad at you," I mumbled. Those were the first words I'd said since we'd started back home and they were true. Confused? Yes. Shattered? A little. Sad? Very. But not mad.

"Then how come you're all quiet?" he asked.

"I just didn't know the two of you were...together," I explained, keeping my eyes down. "It's none of my business who you go out with, anyway."

"We're not together!" he cried. "She just kissed me out of nowhere, and if I wasn't all surprised I wouldn't have let her. I'm not going out with anyone!"

"Calypso..." I said under my breath.

"Not her either," Percy said. "I...I don't even want to see her anymore."

I stopped walking, which must've been a relief to Percy. I sighed. "You don't have to lie to me to make me feel better, Percy."

He looked triumphant. "So there _is_ something wrong!"

"No. You just think I'm...jealous or whatever." I muttered.

"Well, I'm not lying," he told me. "I don't miss her as much as I was...I...wait, _are_ you jealous of Rachel?"

I took a step back. "Why would you ask that?!"

"You brought it up," he pointed out.

"Dumb question," I said quickly. "But I'm not mad at you, okay?"

He looked skeptical. "You promise? 'Cause I hate fighting, then not fighting, then fighting again, then--"

"Yeah, I promise," I smiled a little. We began walking back toward home, Rachel's kiss only slightly tugging at my heart.

"Did all that mean _you're _going out with someone?" Percy asked me.

I kind of laughed and shook my head. "Not me."

"Oh, that's good," he agreed. Then he realized what he had said. "Well, not like it's _good_, I just meant...you know."

"No, I don't know," I tried not to smile as we went into the apartment building. "You're happy I'm single, huh?"

"Don't be stupid," he shoved me.

"You called me stupid!" I laughed for real, running up the stairs. "Oh, _now_ I'm mad at you."

"You can't run away from me!" Percy yelled as he chased me up. "I'm the son of Poseidon! We're fast as..."

"...A sea slug," I finished for him as I unlocked the apartment door. "Beat ya."

He groaned and pushed open the door. "You had a head start."

"Suuuure," I said. I swung over the back of the couch and hit the remote control button. "Where's your mom?"

"I'll check," he said, already typing her number into the phone.

A couple minutes later, he joined me on the couch. "Picking up some Chinese stir-fry," he told me. "Can you believe it's already, like, seven?"

"With the sky this cloudy, I can't even tell if it's day or night," I said, flipping through channels. It felt fake, this acting-like-nothing's-wrong charade.

I hoped I looked normal on the outside, because inside, my mind was just on a continuous loop of them kissing. That's all I could see. _Talk, cry, lean in, kiss, _and it would rewind and show it again. Torture? Maybe.

I shook my head to get back to reality. "But yum. I like Chinese."

After Chinese, a shower, putting on PJ's, and watching the new episode of _Scrubs_ -- Percy's choice -- it really was looking dark outside. "Now, I know I'm not your mom, Annabeth," Mrs. Jackson said (which couldn't be more true considering who my mother was). "But I think it's time for both of you to go to bed. Go on, you two, shoo!"

So we turned off the lights and I tiptoed back to Percy's room. "G'night," I whispered.

"G'night," he replied, turning of his lamp as he yawned. "Don't mess up my bed. Like no playing tic-tac-toe on the headboard."

"I won't," I promised. "At least not more than two games."

He threw a throw pillow at me and I closed the door giggling. I hopped into bed -- thankfully there were plenty of blankets on such a cold night -- and turned off the lights. Five minutes passed. Ten minutes. Twenty. I knew because I kept checking the clock, and I kept checking the clock because I couldn't fall asleep.

I switched on the lamp again and tried to decide what was wrong. My pillow? Nah, it was fine, fluffy and everything. My pajamas? Nope, just soft grey pj pants and a silk tank top, my best pair. Maybe it was the silk. Silk is cold, and maybe that was the problem...

But I knew what it really was. Sighing and heading for my backpack, I rustled around until I could find my Bible. My stepmom was very Christian and all. I didn't read it nearly as often as I should, but it did always help when I had insomnia.

Turning to my favorite book -- Proverbs, the wisest -- I scanned the page and tried to lull myself to a peaceful sleep.

_Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam;   so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out._

True enough. But I didn't start that quarrel today, did I? No. That was Rachel. _Her_ kiss, _her _problem, not mine. I mean, I was sorry her parents were splitting, of course, but why take it out on me by kissing Percy while I was doing _her _a favor?!

_Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent,  the LORD detests them both._

Luke...was Luke really guilty? All this time I'd steadfastly believed that he knew what he was doing and it was a trick, or that he was lost and needed me to help him. Wouldn't God want me to forgive him? Or did Luke not want my forgiveness?

_Of what use is money in the hand of a fool,   since he has no desire to get wisdom?_

I should tape this to Percy's door so he could see it whenever he tried to mooch money from me.

_A friend loves at all times,   and a brother is born for adversity._

A friend loves at all times.

That was what I was afraid of, and I knew it. I was afraid of losing what it had taken almost four years to build: our friendship. When other girls at my school had talked about losing a friend because they had a crush on him, I'd rolled my eyes and gone, "Please. You're just too chicken to ask him out."

But then, after they'd been together for a month, they broke up and never spoke to each other again.

That wasn't Percy and me, was it? I realized that no, in the unlikely event we did fall in love, that wouldn't happen.

_A friend loves at all times._

I drifted into a troubled sleep, filled with dreams -- no, nightmares.

--

_Annabeth, Percy shouted. You have to help me!_

_I watched as he fought Luke's Backbiter, sword-to-sword, not knowing who to help. My fingers were wrapped around something shiny and cold._

_Give it to me, Annabeth, Luke cried. Give me the apple!_

_I looked down and saw the golden fruit in my hands. I knew whoever I gave it to would live. The other would die._

_No, I screamed. Don't make me choose!_

_You have to choose, they both told me._

_Tears streamed down my face as the fog clouded over. I didn't want to make this decision. Why was it me? Why did I have to pick only one? I clutched the apple tighter, looking at Luke's face -- sleek, scarred, the one I'd known all my life, the one I'd loved all my life. His blond hair was matted and his eyes were fierce and angry. I saw no love in them. None for me. _

_Percy's face was less sure, more doubtful, but just as handsome. When I thought about it he'd grown up with me. We were older and not naive anymore. His eyes held a spark of something. Life? Love?_

_My heart pounded. I had to decide._

--

I woke up silent but terrified. I think the loud dreams, where you wake up yelling "NO!", are only in movies.

My heart was still beating like a hummingbird, just like in the dream. I had to get out of this room. With a flick of the doorknob, I grabbed one of Mrs. Jackson's super-soft blankets and headed to the kitchen for something to drink. But, funnily, the kitchen lamp was already on.

Percy, sitting in a big white T-shirt and shorts at the table, took a sip of hot chocolate and smiled. "You couldn't sleep either, huh?"


	7. Freezing Rain

**A/N: I love your reviews. I think I'm a review addict. A lot of you guys (I love y'all!!) are saying how much you like the way this story takes it slow, etc. etc. Well, taking it slow is only cute to watch for so long. I think we may be nearing the end of our take-it-slow period, hint hint. ;)**

**Ew. That sounded weird. But you know what I mean! This chapter is so special it has its own picture...but you ****CAN'T LOOK AT IT**** until you get to the end of the chapter!! I am very serious. This is the link:**

http:(TAKETHISOUT)/(TAKETHISOUT)/fc05.deviantart.(TAKETHISOUT)com/fs32/f/2008/229/b/9/FinalPercabethbyoceanstarlet.jpg

**OR**

Just go to the top of my profile page. It's easier. And I don't know if the link above works.

**So make sure to only check it out ONCE YOU'VE READ THIS CHAPTER. I know I'm being overdramatic but I'm also a hopeless romantic and I don't like to spoil things. Anyway, on to the story:**

Percy, after teasing me endlessly about being up so late, let me get some mint tea to calm my nerves. He then sprinkled some more marshmallows in his hot chocolate and led me outside on one of the balconies. "I know it's freezing out here, but it always helps me get back to sleep," he admitted.

"You having bad dreams, too?" I asked as we settled onto a big wooden bench. It was plainly decorated, but the balcony had its own charm. A pretty nice view of the skyline. Snowy, lacy-white tops on black iron railings.

"Yeah," he told me. "Bad stuff, all that."

I wrapped myself in the blanket as I asked, "Was it about the prophecy? Kronos and all?"

"Yes," he nodded but wouldn't look at me. "It was, and...something else." There was an expectant pause before he turned to me and said, "Well, aren't you gonna share that blanket?"

I tossed part of the cashmere-soft comforter over to him. He huddled under it and continued. "You wanna play a game, as long as we're out here?"

I wrinkled my nose. "Perv," I accused him.

"No, stupid, I mean for real," he said. "Truth or truth. You get to ask the other person whatever you want, either a yes-or-no question or a "how many" question, and they have to answer."

"How do you know they're not lying?" I asked cynically.

"You trust them," he explained, like_ duh, what else?_ "See, like this: Annabeth, have you ever thought I was smarter than you?"

I rolled my eyes. "Fine, okay. Yes. But not often."

He bumped my knee with his under the blanket. "Was that hard? Your turn."

"Percy," I began, trying to think of a normal question. "What did you think of me when you first met me?"

He paused, then made a horrified face.

"Knock it off!" I laughed, stealing his cocoa. "You said you'd tell the truth."

"Then give me back my hot chocolate," he huffed.

I gave him the hot chocolate.

"I thought you were weird for talking about the summer solstice, but nice for giving me popcorn pudding," he said as he sipped his drink. "My turn...how many guys have you ever liked?"

"One," I said truthfully. "Maybe two. My turn -- how many _girls_ have you ever liked?"

He had to think a little bit longer, but I didn't mind. When he thought hard, he looked up at the sky like it had the answer written on it, and his face was so cute. Well, not cute like a teddy bear, but...

Ay-yai-yai. Stop! Stop! Do not like him like that!

"Two," he finally said. "Maybe three. My turn..."

"Who are the two-maybe-three?" I asked eagerly.

He scoffed. "That's not a yes or no question! And it's my turn, anyway..."

So we went on with his game for hours. _Hours_. You'd think it would get boring after a while, but when you're with someone you think you know very well, it's never boring. It's always something new.

The questions dug deeper as the hours passed.

"Have you ever fought for something you didn't believe in?" I asked him. We were playing hot hands while we questioned, a game where you rest your palms on the other person's hands and they try to slap you before you pull your hand away.

"No," he said, trying to win the game and catch my hands above his. He missed. "Have you ever been in love?"

He caught me off guard and slapped my hands at last. "Ha! I won that round!"

"Did you just ask me that to win," I inquired. "Or do you really want to know the answer?"

"I really want to know," he said, putting his hands on mine again. He sounded sincere enough.

I tried to catch his hands to no avail. "Well," I told him. "I'm not sure. Maybe. Have _you_?"

"I'm not sure, maybe," Percy replied, very pleased with himself. I quickly slapped his hands. "OW!"

"That's another win for me."

"Geez," he smiled. Then his face turned serious as he asked, "Were you mad at Rachel? For, you know..." he trailed off.

I let my hands rest while I thought of an answer. "Yes, I was," I admitted. "Just a little."

"Why were you?"

"Not a yes-or-no question," I told him, hugging the blanket closer to me. The night was getting warmer, for some reason, but it was still pretty chilly. "Did you mean it when you said you don't miss Calypso anymore?"

He looked at me with annoyance. "You're hogging the blanket."

I tugged it closer to me and told him, "Answer the question and I'll give it back."

"Yes," he said. "I did mean it. I still think of her, sometimes...but I don't want to go back. I really don't."

I smiled at him until he said, "Uh, my blanket, please?"

"Fine," I muttered as I threw the far edge of the blanket his way.

He nuzzled himself into the soft comforter and drank some cocoa. "My question: do you...still like Luke? As more than a friend?"

I looked down at the ground. "I think you know the answer to that, Percy," I whispered.

"No, I don't know," he said. "What?"

I procrastinated by taking a ridiculously long sip of mint tea. "I...I did," I said softly. "I was sure I did."

"And now?" he asked.

"Now I'm not so sure," I said honestly. "I'm not sure at all."

We were quiet. I wasn't sure who was more surprised by what I said -- me or Percy.

"Oh, crap, it's raining," Percy said, pulling the blanket over our heads. "You feel that?"

"Yeah, but it's not bad," I remarked. Only a sprinkling of raindrops were falling from the sky, but I didn't worry. "I thought it was too cold to rain."

"Maybe it'll pass by," Percy said hopefully. "It's your turn."

"Oh, right," I remembered. Then I thought of a question I'd wondered about for a while now. "Percy: with everything you're going through, like this war we have to fight, and the prophecy, and--"

"Don't forget pizza-boy Manticores," he reminded me.

"Yeah, that too," I smiled. "I mean...are you happy?"

He grinned under the blanket. "Yes," he answered. "I can't _not_ be happy."

I gave him a strange look. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know," he shrugged. "My friends. My mom. You. I like to be with you, you know?"

Even though it was almost below freezing outside and the rain was picking up, I felt warm inside the instant he said that. "I like to be with you, too," I whispered.

_BOOM_, thunder crashed in the distance. I was too busy staring at Percy, though, as he was staring at me. Rain fell in heavy sheets around us.

I wanted him to ask me something else, which was the strangest feeling in the world. I wanted him to know I loved him, and not just like a friend. But there was about zero chance of that happening.

_Are you happy_?

I had thought I was happy with my life, but I was missing something.

I couldn't be happy as long as I was without him.

Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled in the distance, breaking the spell. "We should go inside," Percy said, ducking out from under the blanket and heading across the balcony.

"Wait!" I cried, tossing off the blanket before he could reach the door.

He stopped and looked at me, both of us getting soaked. "What?" he yelled over the rain.

"I-- I need...to ask you..." I took a huge breath and shouted, "Have you ever fallen in love with your best friend?!"

The only thing you could hear was the torrent of raindrops around us. I waited, heart hammering. I couldn't get enough air. I was nearly panting to get oxygen.

"Yes," He finally took a step toward me. "I'm falling in love with her right now."

It took maybe two seconds to run to him and jump and maybe one more for him to pull me close. But when he kissed me -- rain pouring, thunder crashing -- it seemed like that one scene of my life would never end...or maybe that's just what I hoped. I took hold of his face with my hands and kissed him some more. A song echoed from a downtown club through the night, something by Maroon 5. _I don't mind spending every day...out on your corner in the pouring rain...look for the girl with the broken smile...ask her if she wants to stay awhile..._

He held me close and kissed me and kissed me. I'm not the dreaming type, but that kiss was the Perfect Kiss, capital letters and all. Raindrops pierced through the air, but I didn't mind.

And trust me, it was way better than his kiss with Rachel.


	8. Winter Sunshine

**A/N: Oh my gosh...200 REVIEWS?! Y'all are awesome! A bunch of you are asking, hey, is that the end...and here's what I say:**

**If you like endings like that, stop here. Don't read any more. The kiss is the end.**

**But if you want to see what happens after...read on. Christmas with them? A necklace? A sequel? Who knows! This is the next-to-last chapter, I believe. So have fun and keep readin'!**

Soft beams of light shone through the windowpane onto the couch. After-storm sunshine, I guess. My eyelids fluttered and I woke up with a blissful smile on my face. Today was going to be a good day...wait. Um, why was I in such a good mood?

I pushed myself up from the couch, where I'd fallen asleep in wet pajamas the night before. Percy lay on the other end of the couch, curled up like a sleeping puppy or something. Only two of our toes where touching.

And, of course, about a billion memories rushed back into my head.

.

_Percy carried me inside, away from the thunder and rain outside, but that didn't mean we stopped kissing. I was wondering exactly how he managed to carry me though I was glad I hadn't dropped yet. We ran into the wall on the way inside, but neither of us really cared that much._

_I took my hands off his shoulders and intertwined my fingers with his. Our lips brushed one more time before I leaned over to tell him something. "I love you," I said, short of breath. "You know that, right?"_

_He grinned at me. "Well, I think I do now," he said, kissing me again. "I love you, too."_

_I held him tight and rested my head on his shoulder. "This is so weird," I whispered. "It's like I'm not me anymore."_

_He laughed at that. "Believe me, Wise Girl, I don't want you to be anyone but you."_

_I slid onto the couch and gave him one last kiss -- a long one. I fell onto one side of the couch as he did and ran my fingers through jet-black curls. "Your hair's wet," I said stupidly._

_I could've said something witty then, but the silence was beautiful by itself. Okay, not really silence; the rain was still coming down as hard as ever. Percy found my hand with his fingers and hooked my pinkie around his. He shifted his head on the pillow and smiled at me._

_"You're the smart one," he said. "So tell me how come I've been missing out on this for the past three years?"_

_._

...oh yeah. That.

I brushed a curl of hair out of my face and got up from the sofa to walk to where Percy still lay, zonked out. I tapped his shoulder to get no response.

"Wake up, Seaweed Brain," I whispered. Never startle a sound sleeper, that's the first rule of living with siblings. It probably applied here, too.

He turned over and smacked my hand away. That had better be subconscious, because if it wasn't he was going to get slugged when he got up.

"I'll make cinnamon rolls," I said promisingly. "Lots of cinnamon, brown sugar..."

Percy rolled off the couch and onto the floor. "Ouch," he muttered, rubbing his head where he'd hit it. "From scratch?" he asked drowsily.

I grinned expectantly and wondered when he'd remember last night. I was betting about three seconds. Two...One...

"_Oh_," he said, getting up on his elbows so he could see me eye-to-eye. He, wouldn't you know it, turned red a little bit. "Oh, boy."

"Yeah, I know," I said. "This is a little..."

"Awkward?" he suggested.

"Awkward is overused," I shook my head. "Not _awkward_."

He shrugged, losing some of his redness. "Well, in that case..." he leaned forward and pecked me on the lips so fast I didn't know he was doing it. Then he stood up and headed for his bedroom to change clothes or whatever.

I sat on the carpet, a little stunned, until he called out from his room, "Aren't you going to get started on those cinnamon rolls?"

Rolling my eyes but not able to conceal my smile, I headed for the kitchen to make his breakfast. Over icing the rolls, Percy walked in and we talked like normal. Except, of course, now we were boyfriend and girlfriend.

_He was my boyfriend._

That was so strange to even think.

"I wish you could stay for Christmas," he muttered as he looked at the calendar. "It's only a week away and it'll suck without you here."

I gave him a sad smile. "Yeah, but I told my Dad I'd come home for Christmas."

"I know," he sighed. "Doesn't change my mind."

I stopped icing and thought about this for a minute. Then, wordlessly, I pulled out my phone and dialed my Dad again.

"Who are you calling?" Percy asked as the phone rang.

I put my finger to my lips as my father picked up. "Uh, hello?" he said, frazzled.

"Dad, it's Annabeth," I said. I ignored Percy's look at the word _dad_. "I was wondering..."

"Oh, Annabeth! Good to hear from you. Have the airports cleared out yet? The weather seemed fine on the news last night."

"Uh, yes, but..."

"Good! Well, forget about Christmas."

I did a double-take at my cell phone. "Huh?!"

"We've been offered a full family trip to Aruba for the next month!" he cried. "From the boys' toothpaste company. Isn't that great?"

I was still in awe, so I said nothing.

"So just switch that San Francisco ticket in and we'll be on our way!" Dad finished.

I looked at Percy. "That's amazing," I managed. "But...you know, Dad, I've never much been a fan of Aruba..."

He sounded astonished. "What are you talking about? Of course you are! Everyone's a fan of Aruba!"

"Trust me, Dad," I said. "I've just found something that really interests me in New York."

"Oh," he said. "Some sort of architecture program, is that it?"

"Yeah," I shared a look with Percy. "Something like that."

He sighed. "Well, if you're sure...I suppose we could refund the ticket."

"Thanks, Dad," I said as Percy's hand and mine clasped together. "But I'm _very_ sure."

--

"I don't know," Percy looked skeptically at the ornament I held up. "It's a little obvious, don't you think?"

I laughed and swung the crystal trident around. "Why would it be obvious?"

The owner of Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe had been slightly annoyed with us youngster 15-year-olds, but we'd managed to ignore him. Since it was December 18th, we had a lot to do in a little time. One of those things was buying ornaments for the soon-to-be-bought Christmas tree, and I hardly thought that buying a blue and green crystal trident ornament was _obvious._

"Well, Paul Blofis is coming for Christmas," Percy told me. "I don't think he knows...yet."

"Who's Paul Blofis?" I asked, intrigued.

He shrugged. "My mom's boyfriend. Pretty cool guy. He's going to..." but then he stopped.

"He's going to _what?_" I pressed.

"Nothing," Percy smiled secretively. "But the trident would be a dead giveaway."

I looked sadly at the little ornament. "We couldn't even put it up in a hidden spot?"

"Okay, okay," he relented. "We'll get the trident if you get one with an owl."

I grinned. "Deal."

As we placed the two ornaments at the front counter -- along with several assorted extra holiday items, like Christmas lights, miniature angels, holly garland, and, well, mistletoe -- the counter girl gave us a knowing look. She was Asian, with pretty hair and probably only five years older than we.

"That'll be 35.28," she rang up the number for us. "And we'll throw in a free Santa hat, too."

"Awesome!" Percy high-fived me as she handed him the fur-lined red velvet hat.

She looked at both of us. "Would you like one for your girlfriend, too?"

He looked a little surprised, but he slowly warmed to the idea. "Another one for my...girlfriend."

I bumped his shoulder with mine happily. "Thanks," I told the girl before turning to Percy. "Let's head home."

And, just because I could now, I gave him a little kiss on the cheek.


	9. The Christmas Ending

"Wow, it's _awesome_," Percy exclaimed as he tore off the wrapping paper. "I love it! But...how'd you...wrap it?"

"It must have been impossible, but you did a beautiful job," Ms. Jackson agreed. Though it was Christmas morning, she'd taken the time to dab on mascara and set her hair in curls. Her boyfriend was coming any minute, and she probably was freaked.

"It took some time," I admitted, beaming. The idea of getting him a full fish tank for Christmas was smart, it's true. I'd had to get him out of the way for a few hours to set up the pump and introduce the fish to the water, of course, but now that it was done, it did look pretty amazing.

Wrapping it_ was_ very difficult, though.

"It comes with fish food," I told him, handing him the little bottle. "For tropical fish. I got you a saltwater tank, duh."

"Thanks," Percy said as he sprinkled a few flakes in.

I watched him happily as he examined the tank. Amy Grant's _Sleigh Ride _played softly in the background, and we were truly having a white Christmas with softly falling snowflakes outdoors. The fir tree glowed, both "special" ornaments safely tucked where only we could see them. Garland was draped around the house. We'd even cleaned up the old top-floor apartment fireplace until it polished, filling it with logs and fire for the first time since who knows when.

And, obviously, both Percy and I were wearing the Santa hats with our pajamas.

_DING-DONG_.

"Oh, gosh, that'll be him," Ms. Jackson said frantically, rushing to the door. "Paul!"

"Hi, Sally," the guy said. His jeans and brown leather jacket matched with his gray-streaked dark hair made him look like someone from _All My Children_. It's my stepmom's favorite soap opera.

"Oh, come in, come in!" Percy's mom greeted warmly.

"Gladly," he dazzled us with white teeth. "Now, who is this?" he nodded toward me.

Ms. Jackson answered, "That's Annabeth. She's a friend of Percy's."

"_Mom_," Percy groaned.

"We're going out," I explained. You might expect Ms. Jackson to be shocked, but frankly, we weren't exactly secret about our...relationship as of lately. "Hi. I'm Annabeth Chase."

"Paul Blofis," he said as he shook my hand firmly.

"Nice to meet you."

He looked puzzled. "No blowfish jokes?"

"Huh?" I asked. "Blowfish? I would've never thought of that."

"Everybody else did," Percy laughed at me.

Ms. Jackson shook her head at him and gestured at the pile of unwrapped boxes. "It's a beautiful Christmas, isn't it? We were just opening presents."

Paul smiled. "Perfect," he said. "Because I wanted to give you a present myself."

She flushed with excitement. "Really?"

"Yep. Why don't we take a little stroll outside," he winked at Percy. "And I'll tell you all about it."

As soon as the balcony door closed behind them, I turned to Percy and demanded what was going on.

"Well, I guess we'll have to watch, huh?" he said mischievously.

We crowded around the small window, trying to keep ourselves hidden. Ms. Jackson and Paul chatted for _forever_, and I literally thought we would die of boredom.

"Will they get on with it?" I asked. "What's so special, anyway, Seaweed Brain?"

But he insisted, "You'll see."

Chatter, chatter, chatter. But suddenly Paul turned serious. He pushed away a wisp of Ms. Jackson's shiny brown hair and knelt on the snowy floor of the balcony, reaching into his tan leather jacket for a small velvet box.

"Oh my gods, he's proposing!" I breathed, gazing at the scene unfolding before me. "Paul Blofis is actually proposing to your mom!"

"Cool, huh?" Percy said. His face was hard to read -- a little broken, but mostly happy. "He told me he would a few months ago."

I sighed as his mom covered her mouth with her hands, then, overcome, shook her head excitedly and threw herself into his arms.

"That's really...amazing," I said softly. And it was; I was witnessing somebody's _life_ changing -- make that two somebodies. Obviously, Ms. Jackson's life would never be the same, but Percy's, too, would be different. Would Paul be his dad? How could he, when his real father was so...um, imposing.

But I was also annoyed. "Hey, how come you didn't tell me?" I asked.

Any trace of sorrow vanished from his face and a snicker came. "I thought you'd like a surprise on Christmas."

"Well..." I got ready to punch him, but stopped. "Yeah, I do."

I kissed him lightly instead. Oh, that's another thing: kissing is actually _very_ nice. Needless to say I hadn't had much experience in the area, but it's easy to see why it's so...popular.

"Happy to hear it," he said. "I don't think I've given you my present, though."

"Oh?" I asked. "And what would that be?"

He laughed. "Well, it's not an engagement ring."

I sighed. "Shoot."

"Sorry to disappoint you," he said as he went behind me and covered my eyes with his hands. "Keep your eyes closed. And _don't peek_."

"That's a pretty tall order," I muttered, but I kept my eyes shut tightly. I felt his warm hands lift off my face, to my chagrin, and heard his soft footsteps back toward the tree. Soft footsteps back. I wondered what he'd gotten me. Maybe something really nice -- D'Aulaire's Ancient Architecture book, bound in leather, or something. With this bright thought I got even more thrilled.

Then I felt something cool and hard wrap around my neck. No way. No _way_ was it what I thought is was. I'm sure he had gotten me a very nice necklace, but not what I was dreaming of. My eyelids were fighting to stay shut just as my expectations were fighting to stay down.

"Can I open now?" I finally relented to say.

"Yeah, I guess you can," Percy sounded amused. "As long as you don't look down, you can."

"But that's the whole point!" I said as I opened my eyes. You have no idea how difficult it is to look dead ahead when you know your present is around your neck.

"Turn around, there's a mirror," he told me, a smile playing at his face.

Excited, I turned around as fast as I could. But when I saw my reflection, I simply and absolutely melted.

"YOU BOUGHT THE NECKLACE?!" I cried, flinging my arms around him in what I'm sure was a very embarrassing way. It was beautiful, I'm not going to lie, and its platinum chain gleamed as if it had been polished only seconds ago. The owl clutched its diamond serenely, smiling back at me as if to say _See? I told you so. There are happy endings._

I really and truly loved the necklace. None of my shouting and hugging had to be acted, let me tell you.

"How did you get six thousand dollars?" I asked incredulously. "This is...amazing! It's gorgeous!"

"Do you like it?" he asked, muffled beneath my tight hug.

"Are you _kidding?"_ I cried. "I _love_ it! How did you--"

He pointed behind me. "Look out the window, Wise Girl."

I whirled around and peered out the window overlooking his room's balcony. At first I didn't understand, and my brow crinkled as I stared out, confused. But then I realized it wasn't what _was _there, but what _wasn't_.

"The Moonlace," I realized.

"Yeah," Percy rubbed the back of his neck self-consciously. "There are a couple of botanists in New York. I took the Moonlace to one of them, way early, before you were up, and he'd never seen anything like it...he offered me five thousand dollars."

"Woah," I said quietly. That was a decent price, to say the least.

"Yeah, Dr. Swellington specializes in unusual plants."

"But the necklace cost..."

"Yeah, I had to bargain with him for the last thousand," he winked.

I looked, extremely pleased, at the fresh white balcony outside -- free of Moonlace. Free of Calypso. Free of Rachel Elizabeth Dare -- she didn't even _have_ a mark in this house.

And the world seemed right again.

My eyes flicked over Percy."You really don't miss her anymore, huh?"

He hooked his arm around me and nodded. "Not at all. Sorry."

I buried my face in his arms, embarrassed at how lucky I was. "Oh, no..." I mumbled. "You really love me, don't you, Seaweed Brain?"

He lifted my face back up with one of his hands, and his expression can only be described as honest. "Yes," he said plainly.

"We're standing under mistletoe," I whispered under my breath.

He gave me a look. "Don't think I didn't hear that," he said.

So we both gave each other one more gift: the Christmas Kiss. Maybe some people in the world -- adults, most likely -- would say that whatever Percy and I shared wasn't nearly as serious or as real as the relationship Ms. Jackson -- now almost Mrs. Blofis -- and Paul had. But if you'd seen us, I'm pretty sure you'd change your mind. Look at Romeo and Juliet: they were fourteen. _Fourteen_. If we'd lived four hundred years earlier we could have been married already.

I could spoil this and tell you about what was yet to come: arguments, battles, invented deaths, engagements, weddings, the dedication of lives, careers, the loss of dear friends. But frankly, I don't want to ruin the memory of that one Christmas. So instead, I'll leave you here, with a proposal on the balcony and Percy and I kissing under the mistletoe, snow falling lightly.

It was the perfect end to that frosty winter.

**THE END**


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